Manipur: Chilling Video Shows Meitei Man Begging for Life Before Point-Blank Shooting

Imphal: A horrific video purportedly showing the execution of a 28-year-old Meitei man has surfaced on social media, reigniting fears of renewed ethnic violence in strife-torn Manipur.

The victim, identified as Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh (also known by his tribal name Ginminthang), was reportedly abducted from his home in the Tuibong area of Churachandpur district on Wednesday evening (January 21) along with his Kuki wife, Chingnu Haokip.

While his wife was later released unharmed, Singh was taken to a secluded hillside clearing, where he was forced to kneel and plead for his life with folded hands.

In the silent nighttime footage, which carries an overlaid text message reading “no peace, no popular government,” muzzle flashes from an AK-series assault rifle illuminate the darkness as the assailants shoot him at point-blank range.

The body was recovered by police near Natjang village in Churachandpur district and taken to a local hospital around 1:30 am on Thursday.

Singh, a resident of Kakching Khunou in the valley region, had been working in Nepal for the past two years and had returned home on leave to visit his wife.

Sources close to the family claimed that his wife had obtained permission from the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and its Tuibong district headquarters for the brief visit. However, the KNO, an umbrella body of Kuki insurgent groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, categorically denied any knowledge of Singh’s visit or involvement in the incident.

In a statement issued this morning, the KNO claimed that it never subjects spouses from other communities to such violence and distanced itself from the killing. The United Kuki National Army (UKNA), a group not part of the SoO agreement, has also denied any role, according to local sources.

Under the SoO framework, designated insurgent groups are required to remain in camps with weapons stored securely. Observers suspect the killing was carried out by non-SoO militants with the intent to inflame ethnic divisions between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, especially amid ongoing discussions on government formation in the state, which has been under President’s Rule since February 2025 (nearing one full year).

The incident marks the first major reported act of inter-community violence in several months, following the outbreak of ethnic clashes in May 2023 that have claimed over 260 lives and displaced more than 59,000 people. Meiteis and Kukis have largely avoided entering each other’s areas since then.

Police have registered a suo motu case and launched an investigation. The viral video has triggered outrage, protests, including road blockades in Kakching, and heightened security concerns across the region.

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